Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate

Founded in 1991 by Craig Sams and his wife Josephine Fairley, Green & Black’s brand was conceived to represent the ‘green’ concerns of its founders and the ‘black’ of the cocoa bean.

In 1994, after introducing the UK’s first Fairtrade chocolate, the company received the Worldaware Business Award for contributions to the development of poorer nations. In 2005 it was sold to Cadbury-Schweppes for an estimated £20m.

London-based Cadbury-Schweppes is the world’s largest confectionary company, reporting an annual turnover of £7.4 billion in 2006 alone. It has repeatedly been challenged for failing to demonstrate responsible industry leadership.

In 2002, a report by the US International Institute of Tropical Agriculture highlighted the exploitation of child labour by cocoa plantations in west Africa supplying Cadbury- Schweppes. In 2006, London’s City University released a report criticising Cadbury- Schweppes, among others, for failing to meet WHO targets to cut its products’ salt and sugar content.

This article first appeared in the Ecologist December 2007

For ethical and sustainable suppliers of Food and Drink goods and services check out the Ecologist Green Directoryhere